Netanyahu Says Trump Named Iran Guards a Terror Group at His Request

Israeli PM hopes declaration will boost political chances in Tuesday vote

In a Monday Tweet, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu thanked President Trump for declaring Iran’s Revolutionary Guard as a terrorist organization, saying that he had personally requested Trump’s move.

Netanyahu said that the move would keep the world safe from Iran, and would also serve the interests of Israel, saying he was glad Trump “acceeded to another one of my important requests.”

Netanyahu’s emphasis that this is all his idea, and Trump is giving him everything he wants, is clearly being done with an eye toward Tuesday’s election, as he attempts to convince voters that he is able to get concessions out of Trump no one else could.

This Tweet was only made in Hebrew, likely intending to avoid US officials believing it makes Trump look weak. Getting the far-right Netanyahu reelected is clearly something Trump is keen on, but its unlikely he’ll want to give the impression that US policy is being dictated from Jerusalem.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.